My true love gave to me
by naybaybay
Summary: A Christmas fic because it's finally relevant! Spoilers for 5x09 Complete.


**Just a little one-shot based on some spoilers for 5x09 - the Christmas ep! YAY, finally we get to spend the holidays with our favorite crime-solving couple! :D **

**Reviews are worth more to me than all the Christmas Prezzies in the world!**

**DISCLAIMER: I have glasses... Don't have a beard though, so I guess I'm not Andrew Marlowe. Bummer. **

**...**

A dead Santa.

Great, he would never be able to look at another Christmas decoration, card, window sign, toy, sleigh, reindeer, child, pile of snow, white beard, red suit, black boot, chimney, cookie or glass of milk without remembering the image of the mangled St Nick lying dead and bloody on the pavement on this cold December night.

It was December 24th and and dead Father Christmas was by no means helping Castle to get into the holiday spirit (not that he needed much encouragement in the first place.) He and Alexis had already decorated the tree on her last day of College before Christmas break, it was tall and proud and donned with baubles of all shapes and sizes, topped off with a bright yellow star.

The tree though, was long forgotten. They had been at the precinct for over 16 hours now, running through suspect lists.

"For a professional Santa Claus this guy really had a lot of enemies", Beckett remarked, squinting down at the profile of the next suspect they were due to interview.

"He must've missed some houses last year, ticked a lot of people off", Castle suggested.

Beckett gave him a leveling look.

"Or it could be something...realistic", Castle conceded quietly.

"So Kris Kringle's real name is..."

"Ha-da-don't ruin the illusion for me!" Castle held up his hands, stopping Ryan from finishing his sentence.

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Just cover your ears, Castle, or better yet, get me another coffee." Her partner looked at her with childlike saucer-sized eyes. She resisted the urge to lean forward and pinch his cheek, chewing on her bottom lip instead. "Please?"

He rose and took her cup from her. "I really do wish you would let me make you some egg nog."

She shook her head. "We're at work, Castle... Later... maybe."

Castle raised a fist triumphantly and headed toward the break room. Ryan had a glassy-eyed expression on his face.

"Ryan..." Beckett attempted to rouse him from his thoughts.

"Oh, sorry, I was just... it's so sweet, you know, you two, your first Christmas together, as a...couple", he whispered the last word as Gates was not far away, in her office.

Beckett gave him a quick smile as she watched her partner brewing a perfect cup o' joe and whistling what was undoubtedly "Here comes Santa Claus". "Thanks, it is...sweet." She shook her head. "So um, anyway...Kris Kringle?"

...

The day rolled into night and no viable witnesses had come forward and so far, every suspect they had called into questioning had an alibi.

Castle and Beckett sat at her desk. Every time Beckett looked up, Castle seemed to be glancing at his watch. "Castle, go... just go."

"Why do you want me to go?" Castle asked her, looking genuinely confused.

Beckett lay her pen down with a sigh. "You need to go, it's Christmas Eve and your family is waiting for you to get home."

"My Mother and Alexis can wait a little bit longer, because if you're not coming home with me, then my whole family will not be there."

Kate swallowed a lump in her throat, she still wasn't used to him being this open about the way he felt for her. And she certainly wasn't sure how to return the sentiment.

"Castle..." She said weakly. "It's seven o'clock on Christmas Eve night... It's my case and I have to take it."

"I still don't know why you couldn't have delegated. That's what you have a team for isn't it?" Castle grumbled.

"Ryan is at home with Jenny, who's carrying his child, they need to be together."

"The baby's barely a tadpole!" Castle rolled his eyes.

"That's not the point. It's special for them", Beckett defended the Ryans.

"And what about Esposito?"

Beckett shrugged. "Lanie begged me to let him have the night off. She called me last night, I told you this already, I specifically remember you saying something crass in return."

"So, what, everyone else gets off scot-free and you're stuck here pouring over the case of a dead Santa who drank too much and probably would have died of heart failure before next Christmas if someone hadn't tossed him off the roof?"

"He's a victim, Castle, just like anyone else, and...", Beckett sighed. "It's just always been this way. "I've always covered Christmas Eve, ever since I first joined the force."

"Because you had no reason not to. But this year's different Kate. This year you have a meal and a tree and presents to come home to, you have a family."

"And what about this guy, huh? What about his family? Do you think I'm going to be able to enjoy my Christmas knowing that his ex-wife and his kids are spending their Christmas not only without their husband and father, but without justice too?"

Castle cast his eyes to the desk in front of him, nodding once. He stood.

"On second thought, I really should get home to Alexis. Our time together these days is precious and, who knows? Next Christmas she might have a boyfriend or friends of her own that she'd much rather spend the holiday with. I need to cherish what time we have together... If this victim teaches me anything it's that life is too damn short."

Kate watched him stand and felt a pang of hurt in her chest. "I can't just stop caring about the victims Castle... and I won't."

Castle turned around slowly back to her and nodded. "You're right Kate. I know how much you care. You care a lot about everyone... Everyone but yourself."

And he left her alone to work the case for the first time in eight months, in the chilly, dimly lit precinct, on a decidedly non-merry Christmas Eve night.

...

Kate felt terrible. She had tried to be selfless, telling him to go home and be with his family, let him off the hook, but she knew that it didn't matter if he'd stayed or if he'd gone without her. This was their first Christmas together, and as important as her job was, that's how important this one day of the year was to him.

The four years he'd given to her had surely earned him this one night.

She kicked herself mentally as she sat, pouring over all the evidence in the case, it was all going no where, if she couldn't focus her mind on anything except her lover being angry with her on Christmas then she may as well have just gone with him and been happy.

It wasn't ironic, just tragic.

She threw her pen down on the desk, sighing. Her partner could be an idiot sometimes, but she had her days too.

She stood up with frustration and swiped her now empty coffee cup from the desk, dragging her tired body into the break room, turning the coffee machine on.

She stood against the wall and listened to the traffic outside. She could hear bells ringing down on the street and fake Santa's more lucky than her victim, wishing a Merry Christmas to all who came by.

She could hear carolers singing "Silent night", she leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes to listen. It lulled her into a wonderful place for a moment, before she realized that she singing was coming from inside the Precinct.

She propelled herself off the wall, flicking the switch to turn off the coffee machine and racing into the bullpen.

The Castle family stood in front of her, singing sweetly, just for her benefit.

She stood opened mouthed for a moment, not knowing quite what to do, before the realization of how much love she had for these people sunk in to her.

Castle was right. They are her family.

She covered her mouth with her hand, concealing her emotion, and waited for them to finish singing until she stepped toward them, shaking her head. "What are you all doing here?

Castle stepped forward. "I realized that justice is something that is important to me and it's important to family. It's what brought us together, it's almost what tore us apart. But it's something that we have to believe in, we have to fight for. My daughter knows that already, and I'd like any other children that I might be lucky enough to have, to know it too."

Kate's breath caught in her chest.

"That and Gram said she'd withhold his Christmas gift from him", Alexis added.

Castle narrowed his eyes, but conceded. "That too." He took her hand in his gloved one. "Can't spell justice without us?" He tried meekly.

Kate laughed and pulled him forward to hug him. "Merry Christmas Castle."

"Merry Christmas Kate."

Kate pulled away from him and gave Alexis and Martha a hug each too, offering them both a Merry Christmas as well.

"Dad...Your gift for Kate", Alexis reminded him excitedly, bouncing on her heels.

"Right", Castle fished in his coat pocket for something, all the while gazing into Kate's eyes.

"Castle, it's not even Christmas yet, are you sure you don't wanna wait until tomo-"

Kate stopped as she saw what he'd produced from his coat.

It was a velvet ring box.

Kate gaped, momentarily unable to breath.

"Darling, please explain to the poor girl before she gets the wrong impression."

"Yes, thank you Mother, I got this", Castle waved his hand in the air, silencing Martha. He tilted Kate's chin upward with his finger, forcing her eyes away from the box which they appeared to be frozen to.

"OK, before you freak out, this isn't what you might be thinking", he took a deep breath and popped open the ring box.

Kate gasped as the stunning white gold ring shone in the low light of the precinct. "Nope that's pretty much what I was thinking, Castle", she took a slight step back, dazzled by the profundity of it all. The jewelry and what it signified.

"Kate, listen to me for a moment. This is not an engagement ring... In fact it's not even for you to wear. I bought it for myself."

Kate frowned at him, startled, confused, relieved...disappointed. "You bought a ring... for yourself?"

"Yes, if you look closely, you'll see it's actually a man's ring and if you tried it on, it'd fall right off."

"I'm sorry, can you just go back a bit?" Kate requested, feeling more anxious now than when she thought he was going to propose to her.

"Dad..." Alexis said warily, shaking her head at her father who clearly wasn't doing as well as they'd envisioned.

"Darling, honestly, we rehearsed this... He never was particularly good at remembering lines", Martha informed Kate.

"Alexis, Mother, please. I'm getting there... Just, shush!" Castle answered back, clearly getting flustered.

Kate inhaled deeply, placing a hand on Castle's wrist, stroking gently with her thumb. "It's OK, I'm listening", she assured him.

His body relaxed again and he breathed more regularly.

"I know that we still have things to work through before we consider making this official, including getting certain Police Captains to warm up to me, which is why this ring is not an engagement ring, but more of a promise ring. I'm a high-profile figure, I meet many people and I have a lot of fans, without bragging. People watch me all the time, I'm interviewed, questioned, interrogated, ridiculed to no end about my private life. Every day I have women trying to slip me their numbers, or messaging me on the fansite, asking me out, or asking me to..." he paused in his sentence. "Anyway, that's not important... The point is, I bought this ring as a symbol of my commitment to you. If you give me permission to, I will wear this ring every day, no matter what I'm doing, no matter where I go, so that everyone who I come into contact with will know that I'm off the market."

Kate looked at her boyfriend in awe. She knew if it were plausible enough, this ring would be for her finger and it would be an engagement ring. She knew that he'd wanted her to wear his ring for quite some time now. But for now, he was willing to do something even more extraordinary for her. He loved to brag about things, show off, and yet he was willing to cancel his bachelorhood, without having the benefit of announcing who he was ending it for.

"Kate", he spoke to her so quietly she almost didn't hear him over her own thoughts."Will you give me this ring?" He held the box up to her, his hand shaking.

She pried the ring out of the small box and sniffed back a tear as she held it up in front of herself.

"Just before you do... Read the inscription."

Kate held up the ring in front of her eyes with both hands, twisting it in her fingers to find the inscription. When she saw it, her heart soared. Inscribed on the inside of the ring, was a single word

"Always"

She nodded mutely, a tear escaping her eye. She slid the ring on his ring finger and told him "You're the best gift I ever received, Castle."

She smiled at the ring that fit so perfectly on his finger and then lifted her sparkling tear-filled eyes to meet his.

Alexis walked forward at that time, beaming, and held a sprig of mistletoe above their heads, standing on her tip toes to reach.

Kate chuckled. Castle shrugged, a dopy smile on his face. "You can't deny the traditions of Christmas, Kate."

She turned from her partner's daughter to her partner and placed her hand on his cheek, leaning in to give him an earth shattering kiss that was (hopefully) still presentable enough to perform in front of his daughter.

It seemed to be just right as Alexis and Martha both burst into applause and cheering.

Kate laughed again with joy and embarrassment, at the look in her lover's eyes, she leaned forward into him again, placing her forehead against his. "I love you Rick", she said with a voice thick with emotion.

She pulled away to see his face filled with joy and with love, more so than she'd ever seen from him. She didn't resist the urge to pinch his cheek this time. "I wish I had your gift to give you now", she chuckled lightly.

He shook his head, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "Oh Kate, you just did."

**A/N: Just thought that you might find it funny that when I first went to write the word "Santa", I wrote "Stana"... Who spends too much time on Castle tv forums? Me?! ... Yes.**


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